Education

Peggy Downs, 55, of 830 Arthur Mattingly Road in Lebanon filed Thursday, Feb. 4, for the District 4 school board seat, currently held by Michael Cecil. The District No. 4 seat represents the precincts of St. Charles, Loretto, Holy Cross, and St. Francis.
Downs was employed by the Marion County Board of Education for approximately 22 years working as a bus driver, coach, secretary and substitute teacher. She ran for the District 4 seat in 2008, and during a special election in 2010.
The District 4 school board seat will be decided during the General Election on Nov. 8.

Flint, Michigan has recently been affected by dangerous levels of lead in their water supply due to the city’s change to using the Flint River as their source of city water. Anyone, especially children, who has consumed the water may be at risk of getting lead poisoning. Continuing to drink the city water only worsens the health problems.
The Springfield campus is an official drop-off site for donated water and water filters. You can also donate water and filters to the Springfield Community Action Center or at Fuel Fitness.

When a child is born, the last thing on parents’ minds is their baby’s first day of school.
In fact, many parents try not to think about it because it’s a sign that their baby boy or girl is growing up.
But, preparing for that day is crucial to a child’s development, and the Marion County Public School System is making some changes and trying some new initiatives to try and reach children long before they walk into school on their first day.